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A National Atlas is a fundamental and complex geographical atlas containing that comprises a synthesis of contemporary scientific knowledge in the field of physical, economic, cultural and political human geography of the country under consideration. It serves as a reference tool by adding essential of very high added value for the Public Administration when implementing public managerpolicies, and by providing it provides a vast knowledge of on the different territorial aspects that define the territory for students in business activities; at the same time, medium and high educational levels and it provides an educational wide terms of reference point on geography and cartography for the wider populationgeneral public.

Several Five stages can may be distinguished set in relation to the evolution of the National Atlas project: the elaboration of , i.e. the Geographical and Statistical Review of Spain (1880-1912), the Geographical Statistical Atlas project (1930), the National Atlas of Spain of from 1965 and, finally, the National Atlas of Spain of from 1986-2008and the current National Atlas of Spain (2008-nowadays).

<span style="color: #17aded">'''The Geographical and Statistical Review of Spain(1880-1912)'''</span>[[File:Mapa españa 1M500.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Map of Spain at a scale of 1:1,500,000 drawn up by Ibáñez de Íbero Ibero on the basis of the territorial division of the territory into military zonesareas.]][[File:Lluvia media anual.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Map showing the distribution of average annual rainfall. This thematic map appears in the first volume Spain at a scale of 1:1,500,000 drawn up by Ibáñez de Ibero on the The Geographical and Statistical Review of Spain, which is a description basis of the territoryterritorial division into military areas.]]The first experiences in the creation of experience for creating a national atlas at was the Geographical and Statistical Institute (IGE) date Review of Spain that dates back to 1880, when General Ibáñez e Ibáñez de Ibero, Director of the Geographical and Statistical Institute(as it was called in those days), launched the this project for the creation of the "Geographical and Statistical Review of Spain", with the . The aim of updating was to update it annuallyevery year.It was a major project, and issue as Ibáñez de Íbero pointed out in the prologue, in order it needed to be carried out successfully, "“with the indispensable collaboration of the other management centres was indispensableleading organisations, as was well as with the collaboration of the authorities of from all orderslevels, including the prelates, and of some other scientific establishments"bodies”, as Ibáñez de Ibero pointed out in the prologue.

The work was finally published in 1888, and consisted of twenty-three articles and a single geographical map of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.

The mapis the only drawing in the publication, it was accomplished at a scale of 1:1,500,000, and it was drawn by Ibáñez de Ibero himself for the division of the territory into military zones, is the only illustration accompanying the textareas. Published It was published in black and sienna, it colours and was reprinted in 1902. The editing work was carried out at the press of the Geographical and Statistical Institute press.

The work, is therefore, is not strictly speaking a national atlas (strictly speaking, as it only includes one map). However, but it can may be considered as an a predecessor of ita national atlas, since as it was essentially a synthesis of the statistical data available about at the time on the geography of the country, and it prepared the way for their cartographic representation. Despite the intention to update and reprint every year, it took almost a quarter of a century for a new Geographical and Statistical Review to be published in three volumes in 1912, at the beginning of 1913 and at the end of 1914. The great innovation of this edition was the inclusion of some thematic cartographic sheets, statistical graphs and topographical profiles. This was possible, amongst other factors, due to the fact that the increase in resources at the Institute allowed creating the Graphic Arts Section, which did not exist when the first edition of the Review was produced back in 1888.

<span style="color: #17aded">'''The Geographical Statistical Geographical Atlas (1930)'''</span> In 1930, a Royal Order was issued establishing the need to publish the Statistical Geographical Atlas, on an annual basis, and this work was assigned to the Permanent Commission for the Economic Map of Spain, which belonged to the Higher Geographical Council of the Spanish Geographical and Cadastral Institute (formerly the Geographical and Statistical Institute). After the change of political system in 1931, from monarchy to republic, the Higher Geographic Council disappeared and the Interministerial Commission for Cartography and Economic Geography was created, with the aim of producing the Economic Map or Economic Geographic Yearbook of Spain.

The production A Royal Order was issued in 1930 pointing out the need to publish the Geographical Statistical Atlas of Spain on an annual basis. This task was assigned to the Permanent Commission for the Economic Map of Spain which belonged to the Higher Geographical Council of the Spanish Geographical and Cadastral Institute (as it was called in those days).After the change of the political system from a monarchy to a republic in 1931, the Higher Geographical Council disappeared and the Inter-Ministry Commission for Cartography and Economic Geography was set up with the aim of this producing the Economic Map and the Economic Geographic Yearbook in Spain.This Economic Map could not be carried out due to problems some issues in relation to the formation of working groups, the complexity of difficulties in obtaining data, a shortage of technical resources and the outbreak of the civil warin 1936.

The need to have works of synthesis of on the national geography had encouraged several countries in the first half of the 20th century to elaborate their own national atlases, each one under the criteria of the respective work teamsatlas. In order to unify criteria and thus make the work of in different countries comparable, the International Geographical Union (IGU) established set up a working group on national atlases in 1956 a Working Group on National Atlases, which would later give way to the Commission on National Atlas Commission. These atlases were then defined as "fundamental and complex geographical atlases of specific countries, containing a recapitulation summary and generalisation of contemporary scientific knowledge in the field of physical, economic and political geography of the country concerned". In accordance with these ideas, a National Atlas Commission had been set up at the Geographic and Cadastral Institute with the aim of tackling the creation of the National Atlas of Spain. The Commission, made up of a group of renowned geographers with a good knowledge of cartographic language, tried to replace the old concept of written text with the modern concept of the map as a graphic image.

In accordance with these ideas, a Commission on National Atlas was set up at the Spanish Geographic and Cadastral Institute (as it was called in those dates) with the aim of tackling the creation of the National Atlas of Spain. This Commission, made up of a group of renowned geographers with a good knowledge on cartographic language, tried to replace the old concept of written text with the modern concept of the map as a graphic image.By 1965, the national atlases of Finland, France, Canada, Egypt, Czechoslovakia, USSR, Italy, Australia, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Belgium, UK and Israel had been published, and those of Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland were being delivered as a loose-leaf collection. This The latter was the model adopted by the Spanish Commission on National Atlas Commission.

The cartographic techniques used in that for this edition contributed to the learning and practice of a new working methodology, different from the one that had been used until then, obtaining a considerable improvement in the quality of the final product.

[[File:L 40 horas sol.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Map from sheet 40 showing the average time of annual sunshine a year hours at a scale of 1:4,000,000]][[File:L 87 nucleos comerciales.jpg|right|thumb|300px|: Map on sheet 87 showing the zones or commercial areas of commercial attraction and the main commercial shopping centres of importance at a scale of 1:2,000,000]]The technique, engraved glass, was used in very few countries at that time and it was necessary to import the patent from Switzerland. The team gained considerable experience and quality in their work. A further advance was the use of the stabilene technique. For the first time, a 1:500,000 scale representation of the entire national territory was achieved. The data were obtained from the National Topographic Map at a scale of 1:50,000, which was completed prior to this work.

Despite the many difficulties The technique, engraved glass, was used in very few countries at that hindered the completion of the project, the 28 geographical sheets time and 24 of it was necessary to import the 72 thematic sheets patent from the original 100 projected, were published Switzerland. The team gained considerable experience and quality in 1965their work. A Geographical Review further advance was the use of 227 pages and the stabilene technique. For the first time, a Toponymic Index consisting of 176 pages and approximately 401:500,000 toponyms were published laterscale representation of the entire national territory was achieved. The last updates of some of the (non-thematic) geographical sheets data were produced in obtained from the 1980sNational Topographic Map at a scale of 1:50,000, which was completed prior to this work.

Despite the many difficulties that hindered completing this project, the 28 geographical sheets and 24 -out of the initially 72 proposed- thematic sheets were published in 1965. A Geographical Review of 227 pages and a Toponymic Index comprising 176 pages and approximately 40,000 toponyms were published later. The last updates of some of the (non-thematic) geographical sheets were produced in the 1980s.Although the Atlas remained unfinished due to circumstances beyond the control of the work team, and the tools used for the elaboration of drawing up the maps have been were considerably improved, the scientific approach with which the this work was promoted was well conceived and even ahead of its time. For the first time in Spain , there was a work that synthesised through cartographic language the physical and human geography of the country, essential material for the governmental management of the territory, among amongst other aspects.

[[File:Estructura tematica 1986.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Thematic structure of the National Atlas of Spain from 1986]]In 1986, the management of the The National Geographic Institute of Spain considered in 1986 the possibility of producing a new National Atlas to complete and update the previous publication. Thus, with the approval of the Council of Ministers on 13 June 13, 1986, the National Atlas project was prepared and structured, drawing up a general index that would cover covered the different aspects and topics to be dealt with.

In 1987, this This multidisciplinary project was launched, in 1987. It was organised into thirteen sections comprising 48 working groups, in which all aspects of the physical and human geography of our country were dealt with through mapping.Different ministries and bodies of the General State National Administration, Regions Administrations, the Regional Authorities and different specialists who provided the necessary needed information for the preparation of preparing the thematic cartography, mapping and took part in the creation of the new creating this second National Atlas.

The work was made up of XIII 13 thematic Sections sections which were in turn divided into Groups, and the Groups groups. The groups were published both in 45 independent fascicles and grouped in large format volumes (5 volumes plus 1 volume that included the toponymic index, with more than over 2,200 pages and more than 4,500 maps in total), and which covered all geographical aspects of the themes that made up the geographical reality Spanish territory.The first group on Environmental Issues, was published in 1991. The first edition of this work was completed in 1997.The thematic structure and format of this Atlas meant a renovation with respect to the countryunfinished Atlas from 1965. A large-scale work was achieved, and this meant a huge qualitative and quantitative leap with respect to previous stages.

The thematic structure and format of this Atlas constituted a renovation with respect to the unfinished [[File:Grupos temáticos.jpg|25px|link=http://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/libros-digitales/libros-atlas-nacional-espana#ane19862008]] [http://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/libros-digitales/libros-atlas-nacional-espana#ane19862008 National Atlas of 1965. A largeSpain 1986-scale work was achieved, which represented a great qualitative and quantitative leap with respect to previous stages.2008]

[[Filees:Grupos temáticos.jpg|25px|link=httpANE://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/libros-digitales/libros-atlas-nacional-espana#ane19862008]Antecedentes] [http://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/libros-digitales/libros-atlas-nacional-espana#ane19862008 National Atlas of Spain 1986-2008]